cellulite?

[lurkette]

I'm 30 and technically I'm at my "ideal weight" (about 120) although for aesthetic reasons (and to give myself some leeway as I start aging) I'd like to lose about 10 lbs and/or get my body fat back down to 20-22%.

Ever since grad school when I started to put on weight, though, I've had cellulite on my butt and thighs, where, thanks to genetics, I keep most of my extra fat. Is there any way to get rid of this? If I lose 10 pounds will I still have a layer of lumpy fat? Or will I just have to learn to live with it? I'm not willing to try cosmetic surgery or any of those stupid creams or pills you see advertised.

[bing bing]

Hrmm, i'm little unclear on exactly WHAT causes cellulite although i have read that dry skin brushing stimulates the lymphatic system and made help reduce it. Make sure that it's a body brush that has natural fibrous bristles. One from the Body Shop or a good chemist .

Losing the 10 pounds that you talk of losing would undoubtedly help reduce it as well.

[Rodney]

Mmm, from what I've read -- as your skin ages, it thins and stretches. Where there are the most fat deposits. around the buttocks and thighs the individual deposits show more clearly (fat's not one smooth layer necesarily), and that's what cellullite is. And of course as you get older you put on more fat anyway, so it's more noticeable. Guys don't get it the bumpiness as much or as easily, because our skin is thicker to start. True, we don't put on so much weight on the lower body, but we do add it on the torso.

The only thing way to fight it is to lose weight -- either naturally or by liposuction.

[Mael]

from my understanding, it's along the lines of what rodney said, but i think it also has something to do with the connective tissues in the fat connecting it to the subdermal layers of skin, which i guess seems to be different in men and women. so losing weight is really the only thing you can do.

[hobo]

I assume when you say you want your body fat at 20% that you are a woman. 120 lbs is not a lot. You probably don't need to lose weight unless you are shorter than like 5'2".

[axolotls]

There is no way to get rid of cellulite. I hear this constantly from the women in the gym who exercise regularily.

I trust them on this since they are so obsessed with their bodies.

The only sure way is plastic surgery and lipo

[lurkette]

Originally posted by hobo
I assume when you say you want your body fat at 20% that you are a woman. 120 lbs is not a lot. You probably don't need to lose weight unless you are shorter than like 5'2".

Yup, I'm a female, and I'm 5'1". My "healthy" weight range is something like 100-132. I weighed about 105 at most in college. After grad school I was at 135 (and that's when the cellulite piled on), then I started exercising regularly, lifting weights, and watching my intake, and got back down to 110-120 with about 20% body fat. For a long time I was at 115 and holding steady, but for a lot of reasons I recently stopped exercising and started eating badly and now I'm back up to like 123 with 29% body fat. I'm healthy and cardiovascularly fit, but I'd like to be back down in the 110-115 range, and get my muscle back, but I don't know if that's going to be enough to get rid of the cellulite.

[lafemmefatale]

i heard that drinking water is suppose to prevent it. I hate water...but ever since i've been doing my best to drink the 8glasses/day. Well i sppose there's other benefits to water besides getting rid of cellulite or prevent it...but this is my reason. let's hope it works.

[lurkette]

OK, so I'm back down to 112-115 (depending on when I weigh) and still have cellulite on my thighs. I really don't want to lose much more weight - my collarbones are getting sharp and you can see my ribs. However, I still have a little bitty spare tire and thick thighs. I know a good deal of this is due to genetics (all the women in my family store their fat in their thighs), but is there anything at all I can do besides losing weight (lifting weights, toning, etc) to get rid of it? I'm annoyed by the cellulite, but I'm not willing to starve myself anorexic to get rid of it.

[nspanky34]

Why would you want to lose weight in the first place? 120 is hot!

[greeneyes]

Originally Posted by lurkette

OK, so I'm back down to 112-115 (depending on when I weigh) and still have cellulite on my thighs. I really don't want to lose much more weight - my collarbones are getting sharp and you can see my ribs. However, I still have a little bitty spare tire and thick thighs. I know a good deal of this is due to genetics (all the women in my family store their fat in their thighs), but is there anything at all I can do besides losing weight (lifting weights, toning, etc) to get rid of it? I'm annoyed by the cellulite, but I'm not willing to starve myself anorexic to get rid of it.

Cellulite is more common in women than men because of thin skin and estrogen, which causes fluid buildup in fatty tissue. Women store fat in "pockets" and men store fat in a honeycomb pattern, again, because of estrogen.

Most research you read on cellulite indicates that there really isn't a non-surgical solution to treating cellulite, but diet and exercise can keep it from getting worse. And sometimes, it's just bad genetics. My mom had awful cellulite and here I am, 21, a horseback rider with very toned thighs and hips, and I have a few dimples myself.

[Charlatan]

Lurkette

My advice is to just stop worrying about it... Cellulite is not an affliction... pretty much ALL women of a certain age get cellulite...

As I'm sure you know it isn't an affliction but rather a natural part of the body that has been villified by our current concept of aesthetics... (i.e. do you think Ruebens models worried about cellulite?).

You are a beautiful woman... end of story (and if you doubt me, ask Mr. Bastid... he'll tell you).